Back then, the Shen family was also a large household in Erlizi Village, and could be considered a respectable country squire.
In Shen De's generation, he was a scholar who was admitted based on his ability, which was a good thing for his ancestors in this village. After that, the old man started to tremble and thought about the idea of going to live in the county with his family. He thought that after all, in this rural place , it is really not conducive to the growth of my son’s knowledge.
So the family discussed and closed the Shen family's ancestral home, sold all the dry fields and low-grade paddy fields, and rented out only the top-grade ones. After that, the family moved to Nanzi County.
This Zhou family is the daughter of the well-known owner of Deyuelou in Nanzi County.
Her father took a fancy to Shen Decai and saw that although he was born in a rural area, he was smart and thorough, so he deliberately promised his daughter to him.
Studying is extremely expensive. Even if most of the family's ancestral land is sold, the Shen family is not considered a wealthy family in the county. Moreover, the family only has no income and only relies on renting land for income every year. It is unlikely that it will last long.
As he slept on his pillow, Shen De understood that as long as he had a rich father-in-law, he would not have to worry about his wife's dowry. If he wanted to continue his studies or be elected to office in the future, he would need the support of his father-in-law.
So the two got married, but for several years after they got married, the Zhou family had nothing to do. In addition, the Shen family was a single generation of three generations. Although the mother-in-law didn't say it, she was already dissatisfied and planned to give her son another child. Take a concubine.
But the Zhou family is not easy to get along with. Her father is rich and she is in charge of the family's middle income. Not to mention that last autumn, Shen De failed to win the imperial examination. Even he was a head shorter than herself.
Mrs. Zhou then discussed with her father that she would adopt a child first. If she had a child later, that would be fine. If she really couldn't have a child, then she would raise him as her own son. In short, it would be included in the family tree and become a member of the Shen family. It would be better than Shen De marrying a concubine. room.
Shen De knew that before he could pass the examination, he would need the support of his wife's family, so he agreed with Zhou's idea. So within a few days, he found someone to bring a two-year-old boy to his door.
The pink and jade-carved little face, the dark pupils, and the indescribable aura of Cen nobility.
"This child is already over two years old. He's too big and I'm afraid he won't be able to raise him properly." Mrs. Zhou was reluctant. She wanted to directly adopt her own nephew instead of an older child of unknown origin.
"I think it's good. He looks smart this way." Shen De also has his own plan. Since it's adoption, he will raise a child who is not related by blood. If he has a child in the future, even if he abandons this child, there is no point in it. It's a big deal. Don't raise them again and again, and end up raising a boy from the Zhou family.
Although Mrs. Zhou is dissatisfied, she also knows not to quarrel with her husband on this matter. Infertility is inherently disgraceful. If Shen De is blindly used to blackmail Shen De with her own money, then as long as the other party succeeds in the imperial examination, it will definitely not be good for her. Eat fruit.
So under the auspices of Mr. Shen, the boy was named Ling and entered the Shen family tree as the eldest son of Shen De and Zhou.
The second year after adopting Shen Ling, Shen De won the imperial examination.
The next year, Shen De stopped and tried again.
In the past two years, the Shen family has treated Shen Ling well. After all, they have no biological children, and Shen Ling is indeed smart. He can memorize a thousand-character essay at the age of three, and read the Analects at the age of four, which made Shen De sigh that he is a good scholar. .
Three years later, Shen De still failed to win the Jinshi, but Zhou became pregnant and gave birth to Shen Huan.
But probably because she was reluctant to give in the middle child and overworked during her pregnancy, Shen Huan was born prematurely and her health was not good after birth. In the next few years, although she took a lot of care, she did not get better. The anxious Zhou sought medical treatment everywhere. .
Three years later, Shen De still failed to pass the general examination. At this time, he was already a little discouraged, so he spent some money to find a way to prepare for the election of officials.
However, Shen Huan grew up day by day, but his health did not improve. Until one day, a Taoist priest came to the house. I don't know what he said. After that, Zhou's eyes became colder when she looked at her eldest son.
Then one day by chance, Shen Ling found out why he was disliked from the words of Zhou's wet nurse, Lin.
It turned out that the wandering Taoist priest said that he and Shen Huan were incompatible, which made him weak and sick frequently. The Zhou family loved her son very much, and even she was somewhat sincere to Shen Ling before, but in the face of the life of her own son, this was too much. What did it count?
The Zhou family tried to find a reason to expel Shen Ling from the Shen family, but at this time Shen De was already on the list of candidates, and when selecting officials, virtue was the most important factor. If the Zhou family acted like a monster and did something unforgivable to Shen Ling, If something happens, it will definitely affect Shen De's official career.
So Shen De could only treat Zhou with affection and reason, and persuade her to be content. But although she got the promise, Shen Ling's life plummeted after that.
Lying on the narrow, hard wooden bed, Shen Ling opened his eyes and could vaguely see the busy spiders on the beams.
Who is this bound net bound to?
He actually has feelings for the Shens and his wife, which stems from the grace of saving his life and the years of raising them.
Although Zhou is the daughter of a businessman, she was very considerate and took good care of her before Shen Huan's accident. Even Shen De often tested him on his homework when he was four years old, and even asked him to teach him in the following years. He took the Master and taught him knowledge with all his heart.
It was precisely because of these kindnesses that he was able to endure all these years of hard work in the Shen family. No matter what, he always told himself that he owed it to the Shen family.
He originally thought that when he came of age, he would draw out his family tree and leave the Shen family, but what about now?
Even Shen De was suspended from office because of his mistakes at work, and the Zhou family was also blamed. It is said that it was him, the disaster star, who caused the Shen family to be restless, their son was still ill, and his official career was frustrated. .
With a slight snort, Shen Ling turned over.
In fact, he has an outstanding memory since he was a child and has a photographic memory. Even when he was abducted at the age of more than two years old, he still has some vague memories.
He remembered that he was always nestled in the soft arms of a woman. She had a particularly pleasant fragrance and always called him "Slave" softly. And when he sat in the woman's arms, all he could see was the carved decorations. , jewels and jade, all made of silk and silk. What impressed me the most was a gorgeously decorated pure gold seated statue of Guanyin. What’s special is that the eyes of Guanyin seem to be inlaid with pure black gems. When they look at each other, It was a shock that pierced the heart.
In the past, when he didn't know why he was abandoned, he tried to win over Zhou's affection, but the words of nanny Lin directly broke his illusion. After that, every time he was criticized, he could only rely on hiding deep. The memories in my mind live in panic.
Now, he has learned not to have any illusions about anyone or anything.
Whether it was the Shen family who treated him like their own son, or the magnificent house and the woman's soft embrace in his memory.